Our Teams

The Matthew Project was set up in 1985 by Peter Farley, a committed Christian who chose the name Matthew as it means "Gift of God". Originally set up as a general advice service in Norfolk for young people, it evolved to primarily focus on providing advice and support for both young people and adults in relation to drugs and alcohol.

The Matthew Project has developed its services for over 30 years and now works with young people, adults and communities in a variety of ways across East Anglia. The Matthew Project has gone through a number of changes recently and now employs over 60 people.

The Matthew Project is a value-driven organisation with an ethos which originated from a Christian perspective. The values which have underpinned the Matthew Project from its inception are therefore essentially Christian ones: compassion, kindness, understanding, support, listening and care. The Matthew Project now employs people of all faiths and of no faith who find harmony with an organisation which is defined by these values. Our values form the core of our ethos and are overtly shared by all our staff.

The Matthew Project works with individuals of any age and also communities who are affected by substance use. The work of the Matthew Project still centres on Norfolk although it does carry out work in Suffolk and Essex, and involves working in partnership with a variety of agencies with a variety of funding streams including statutory partnerships and charitable funding for example through the Big Lottery and Comic Relief.

Our work takes place in a wide variety of settings including schools, youth venues, mobile units, Police Stations, our own premises and those of our partners. Please look on our website for more information: https://www.matthewproject.org/our-services